Ghost of a Remnant
by CodeLyoko
Summary: It's been months since Kadaj had been killed in a mission. One fateful night, Rufus wakes up to find someone in his apartment. Investigating it, he found it to be none other than Kadaj. But in the morning, he's gone. Was it just a ghost or a dream? Rufaj.


Kira: Well this was for my beloved Rufus as a kiriban. It was supposed to be fluffy and cute, but knowing me, I just had to make it fluffy WITH a touch of tradegy. I'll leave the ending up to you, my readers. Interpret as you please, but I shall never tell.

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_Clink._

Twin blue eyes opened when the sound came again, sleep now gone from his mind, alertness taking hold. What was that? The male didn't move a single muscle as he remained absolutely still, listening to the now silent air that filled his spacious apartment. When the curious, yet suspicious sound came again, his mind racked his brain for an answer of what it sounded like, instantly coming up with an answer. It was the sound two mugs would make when they made contact with a table.

So there is an intruder in my house, the male thought, slowly sitting up, the loose half buttoned white polo shirt shifting to reveal more of his smooth skin, the mattress not making a sound. A hand slithered under the pillow behind him, fingers curling around cold, hard metal. The shotgun, his trademark weapon that he always carried with him, was brought into view from where it had been hidden, a dark glimmer in the darkness of his room. The safety was off, giving him the advantage of surprise without having to flick it off. Bare feet, shadowed by a set of black pants, slowly were swung over to touch the plush carpeted floor, making no sound as he quickly untangled his feet from the sheets that had been covering his lower body. He had experiences with assassins before, as well as thieves. This one seemed to not bother with any stealth whatsoever, which was confusing him. How could this thief, or possible assassin, have gotten in here without alerting the guards that surrounded the apartment complex, and now act so carelessly?

Slowly, Rufus stood up, pointer finger curling around the trigger in a trained way so that any motion caused would not end up with his gun firing, unless he meant it to, of course. He walked steadily to the door that led into a small hallway, looking past his messy blonde locks to contemplate where the best place to counterattack was. From the small light on in the kitchen, it was plain obvious which room the intruder was currently residing in. Cautiously, having learned from past assassination attempts, he approached the kitchen doorway, staying in the shadows. He reminded himself that there was no backup if this went array. No Turks to fend off the attacker lest something go wrong. He was alone.

Edging closer to the doorway, he took one breath and then whipped around, gun pointed into the lit kitchen, his cold hard eyes being almost blinded because his pupils didn't adjust fast enough. He quickly blinked his eyes, now used to the lighting. But there was one problem, one that made the president wish he had at least another Turk to back him up.

No one was there.

Confused, sapphire eyes darted around the kitchen trying to pinpoint where the assailant would have gone to. There was only one way in to the room, and that meant that either he had been imagining that there was someone in the house, or the assassin had… exited the room while his eyes had adjust, but that required speed that normal humans didn't possess. The thought of that sent a cold shiver through his body, eyes widening. What kind of an assassin was he dealing with then?

A hint of movement behind him caused him to react, twisting while jumping back to gain more distance. After all, a gun was useless unless the wielder had room to shoot. Apparently the attacker knew what he was doing, having disappeared from view again in only a split second. Eyebrows furrowed together, not understanding why he couldn't get a glimpse of the intruder when he realized that someone was behind him. He could have cursed at the fact that the other was too fast, but he felt his legs being kicked out from underneath him. His finger pulled the trigger, aiming at the person behind him, but again the attacker was gone, the bullet lodging itself into his wall.

Damnit, missed, Rufus growled in his head. He regained his footing when he rolled into a crouch, but just as soon as he managed to do so, he found his gun kicked out from his hands, clattering to the ground a foot away. Before he had a chance to dive for his beloved gun, a pair of strong arms, somehow they had to be strength enhanced, closed around his wrists and forced him up and against the wall, creating a small dent and causing the wind to rush suddenly out of his lungs, causing him to cough in order to gasp for air. An emotion washed over him, feeling hot breath spill over his neck. He shuddered; realizing that the emotion he felt was fear. His chest constricted, heartbeat racing as he struggled, trying to throw the opponent off him.

"You know, _Sir_, you shouldn't have snuck up on me like that. You know better from experience." A purr was heard clearly in his left ear, an incredibly warm moist tongue licking the back of his ear, being withdrawn before the president felt a face nuzzle its way into the crook of his neck, similar to a catlike fashion. The ministrations of that tongue made a shudder nearly break free, until his mind connected something. That voice, Rufus thought, he could recognize it anywhere, his struggle suddenly subsiding. And there was only one person who could say 'Sir' in such a deadly sweet, yet seductive tone. He found the freedom to turn his head to one side, his hard eyes filling with a shocked expression when they met the calculating mako eyes of his lover.

Kadaj.

"Miss me?" the remnant asked, a slow sensual smirk appearing on his lips as he tilted his head. Though his face did not show anything else except the slight seductive expression, it seemed as if he was expecting the shock, after all, what had happened when he was last seen, and heard from, it was believable that he would have died.

"You're… alive?" Rufus said, gawking at him like a big eyed goldfish. Kadaj blinked at the shocked look, the smirk softening into a sad smile. It was then when Rufus caught the scent of still singed hair, his eyes jerking to see the end of the strands blackened and slightly shorter than what they should have done. It brought back a sudden memory of several months ago, the last time he had seen his beloved remnant.

_He knew it had been a bad idea to let the remnant take the job. It was dangerous, but the silver haired youth had brushed it off like it was a joke. Perhaps he had been spending too much time helping Reno out with getting his paperwork done, as he did have a good eye for strategic explanations and interesting concepts of Materia usage. The redhead had obviously thought that Rufus wouldn't have noticed the sudden change in how neat and detailed the reports now were. But he had._

"_Sir, I told you, I'd be better at this job than any of your Turks. Plus, that means that two certain Turks can have some alone time. Trust me on this. I don't see how you are so worried about a simple mission." The young teenager never knew when to stop, but he was quite persuasive when he wanted to be, and it usually worked as well. Rufus sighed, leaning back in his chair, running a hand down his face, hiding his eyes. It was easy to say that he was nervous about sending him away, but his businesslike front gave no indication on what he was thinking, not even to the almost mind-reading Kadaj. The silverette growled and whipped around, walking to the window that showed the darkening sky._

"_Damnit, Rufus." He said, glaring back at him. "I know you're still mad about me killing the last batch without taking one to interrogate, so I'll make sure I'll save one for your Turks, this time with a head attached." The remnant's tone was laced with dry humor, even as he rolled his eyes, waiting for an answer. Rufus lowered his hand, not amused by the somewhat twisted attempt at humor, glancing back down at the Mission Info Report that lay on his desk._

_Mission 248_

_Location: Warehouse 139_

_Targets: Group of assassins know as the Myrad Gang_

_Target Size: 14 members_

_Classification: Dangerous_

_Employees Sending: Tseng, Elena, Reno, Rude_

_Kadaj knew the four names which were already filled out, but he knew that against fourteen dangerous men, even they were outnumbered. With him, he was a one man army, a natural born killing machine, and Rufus knew it. As blue meet green, there was another sigh, an indicator that the remnant had won. A smirk flickered over the younger's lips, watching as the names were crossed out, now being replacing with a single name._

"_Just promise me something, Kadaj." The president said, putting down the pen. The teenager looked down him with a questioning look. "Don't get hurt, or killed. You get too reckless." Kadaj smiled. He gave a mock salute to the president, an arrogant look in his eyes as he turned to leave, taking a few steps towards the door. He heard a chair being pushed back but he ignored it, expecting to leave right away to start the mission. Though his hearing picked up quick footsteps, again he did not react, not until he felt one wrist grabbed, twisting him around so he faced Rufus. He arched a thin eyebrow at the taller man, tilting his head to one side in a catlike fashion._

"_I mean it Kadaj." Rufus said in a low stern voice. A lazy smirk, an almost exact replica of the redheaded Turk's, adorned those pale lips. Yes, the remnant was spending too much time with Reno. He'd have to look into that, he never liked it when Kadaj spent too much time with another male, he guessed it was his possessive side. When the remnant tried to pull away, thinking that that was all, the president pulled him closer, his lips pressing against the remnant's in a deliciously sweet kiss. Kadaj closed his eyes, enjoying the kiss, especially when Rufus deepened it, feeling his tongue brush against his own. His knees started to feel weak, even though he was supported by Rufus' hands and arms. The kiss lasted for only a few seconds, Rufus being the one to pull away first. Kadaj's eyes fluttered open, a soft smile on his lips, reaching up to wrap his arms around his neck, nuzzling him in an affectionate way._

"_I promise I won't." the remnant purred, drawing back to look up at his lover. He leaned into his hand as it stroked his cheek. "I'll keep you to that." he chuckled, his hands falling back to his sides. When the silver haired youth turned around and sauntered out, he still couldn't help but have a strange feeling about the mission. Worry clouding his eyes, he returned to his desk, his eyes once more drawn to the mission report._

_It was only when he got word three days later that the warehouse had exploded into an inferno that destroyed everything did he fully understand why he did not want his beloved Kadaj to go on the mission. He knew something was going to happen. And now… Now he lost the only person on Gaia that he had ever loved._

Rufus shook his head, eyes still resting on the burned ends of his hair, then at the tired looking face of the remnant. He was still in shock, disbelief showing all too easily.

"I thought you were –"

"Dead?" Dull green eyes glanced away as he stepped back, allowing Rufus to turn around, his back facing the abused wall. He frowned at the now distant sad look on his remnant's face, the famous seductive look having dropped from existence. He gripped one of the remnant's hands and pulled him close, wrapping his arms around his waist, kissing his cheek, not wanting to go further lest he startle his beloved remnant. He stayed quiet, sensing Kadaj was hesitant to continue. Catlike eyes drifted down, then back up to the president's ice blue ones.

"I felt like I was… I could... I could feel the Lifestream around me, brushing against my skin. Rufus… I was… scared, scared that I wouldn't be able to see you again." With that said, he buried his head in Rufus' neck, quiet. It was not every day that the arrogant remnant admitted to being scared. In fact, he couldn't think of a time that he had been, other than that one time when an assassin slipped by Kadaj when he was his bodyguard and nearly killed him, leaving Kadaj to kill the would-be murderer in a rage of panic and fear. The blonde raised a hand to slowly run it through the unique silver strands that the remnant possessed in a comforting, wordless way, knowing the action was the perfect solution to calm the younger male.

The result of the simple action caused Kadaj's shoulders to slump, leaning against the hand as his throat vibrated ever so slightly, a purr nearly humming into existence. The glowing eyes he possessed slid almost shut, a mere sliver showing. Rufus held him, as if he was a fragile doll, a ghost of his imagination that would drift through his fingers like smoke if he didn't hold on to him. His heart fluttered for a moment, then clenched painfully, wondering if this was just a dream. At that thought, the president's fingers paused, fluttering over velvet, no, silk smooth strands of the rarest hair color he had ever seen.

The pause was all it took for Kadaj to snap out of the vulnerable state he was, eyes fully opening to reveal their feline pupils. He didn't move, instead looking up as his knees gained back their strength. Oh the things the man did to his body. He realized how much his body both physically and mentally ached for him, but he painfully tried to ignore that thought, pushing it into the back of his mind. The smell of warm hot chocolate drifted through the air, bringing Kadaj's attention to what he had been doing before Rufus noticed his presence. Stepping back, the youth took the still paused hand and gripped it gently, the still sad smile glowing on his face as he led him to the kitchen, coughing lightly to interrupt what Rufus was about to ask, knowing that he was going to ask if this was a dream. He couldn't answer that, not even if he wanted to.

"Now before you start to ask me questions, I'd like to sit down and have some hot chocolate, like I was trying to do when you tried to shoot me." Kadaj said, the familiar purr entering his tone as he chuckled lightly, seeing the sudden guilty and embarrassed look cross his lover's face. He rolled his eyes, his playful side flaring up, showing in his eyes. He continued to lead Rufus to the table, sitting down in one of the chair and picked up a mug full of steaming hot chocolate, raising it to his lips, relishing in the delicious liquid that he had not touched in quite a while. His glowing eyes stayed on Rufus the whole time, observing how shocked he still seemed. His eyes softened, wanting to make up the lost time with the president he so dearly loved. He sighed, draining half of the contents of his mug, placing it back down, not noticing that a mustache of hot chocolate was gracing the skin above his upper lip. However, Rufus, who was finally drinking his own hot chocolate, spied the amusing mustache, finally able to relax out of the shocked state he was in.

"You seem to have something on your face, Kadaj." He said in a low voice, looking almost, dare he say, amused? The remnant raised an eyebrow as if silently asking what he meant. Instead of the president giving any audible answer, he leaned over three inches and raised a finger to wipe off the chocolate from above his lips, bringing the finger to his own to lick it off, spying a hint of a blush rising to his lover's cheeks. He sat still, green staring into blue, surprised at what had happened. Although there was no response, Rufus couldn't help but feel his eyes drawn to those pale lips Kadaj possessed, dripping wet with deadly cobra's venom when being used to carry out threats, but candy coated when whispering sweet moans into the air.

He couldn't help it; he pressed a hand to the back of Kadaj's neck, pulling him close as his lips captured the younger silverette's. A small sigh escaped the remnant's lips as he was pulled closer, noticing how the hot chocolate flavor blended perfectly with Rufus' taste into a cocktail of pure bliss. He came to realize that, sometime during the kiss, he found himself situated on Rufus, straddling his lips, with no memory of moving, not with his mind solely focused on how much he missed the feel of his lover's lips. His skin became all too sensitive when he felt feather light fingertips brush against the nape of his neck, the hand moving and it trailed slightly down, washing away any thoughts that forced themselves to the surface of his love-deprived mind. His lips parted in a soft gasp, eyes nearly rolling back into his head, arms immediately wrapping around the blonde's neck.

That was all it took for Rufus' tongue to snake into the waiting cavern of Kadaj's mouth, re-exploring the warm moist cave it had been craving to taste once more, sliding against the appendage that made its home there. Kadaj's moan was dampened by Rufus' lips, whose eyes fluttered closed, not noticing that the glowing emeralds that he loved had done the same. Breathing was a thing of the past, both of the two not wanting to give up the kiss for anything, deprived of each other for so long. Though the kiss would have lasted forever, the president's body forced him to break away, panting slightly as he slowly opening his eyes, feeling Kadaj's heart and his own beat as one as their lungs strove to recollect oxygen from the air, desperate to feed their bodies. Mako emeralds stared into frosty sapphires, forgetting everything else except for the opposite jewels in front of each other. Rufus moved his hand from Kadaj's neck to his cheek, slowly letting his fingertips brush against perfect unmarred porcelain skin, electing a slight purr from the remnant, leaning into the gentle stroke, acting much like a feline would do when confronted with a hand that strokes its head and back. When his breathing slowed down, he was able to speak, pressing his forehead against his remnant lover.

"You… have no idea how much I missed you." He whispered, voice sounding strained with contained need. A strained smile flickered across those perfect lips, which parted to speak.

"I know. Trust me I do." The words slid into a gasp as Rufus' lips pressed against Kadaj's hypersensitive neck, arching his back against Rufus' ministrations, eyes rolling back in pure pleasure, not noticing that Rufus' other hand slid down his back, causing shudders to wrack his body. How he longed to strip his black leather outfit away, it being more of a nuisance than a protective armor. The president's lips moved passionately along his neck, leaving no inch of skin untouched, stopping just briefly before his free hand found its way to the zipper that adorned the wretched, hindering outfit, intending to reveal more of that skin that he craved. He attempted to jerk it down, but a gloved hand closed around his fist before he could.

"No. N-not here." The statement was spoken shakily, unable to contain the undeniable emotion of need that filled his voice. Rufus drew back, struggling to understand what Kadaj had said, his mind overpowered by his need. A few seconds passed, filled with nothing but Kadaj's pants as his mind finally pieced together what his beloved meant and nodded, wrapping his arms around him as he picked the remnant up, bridal style. Easily carrying the weight of the younger male, he quickly walked out of the kitchen, his lips descending back onto Kadaj's, who eagerly received the kiss.

It was not long until they reached the bedroom, gently lowering the remnant to the bed, drawing his head back to look down at his Kadaj. The devilish angel he dared to call his own. Slightly flushed, Kadaj looked up at him, his hair splayed in silver halo around his head. He smirked up at him, watching at how easily Rufus could be captivated by his looks, even if he was still clothed. The remnant had an idea and placed his gloved hands to his lips, biting the edge and slowly pulling one off, doing the same to the other before he tossed the two over the side of the bed, careless to where they landed. Rufus crawled on top of his lover, seeing the need, desire and love in his eyes, glowing with a mako green light. A smile grew on his lips as he finally was allowed to take hold of the zipper and slowly draw it down, the almost glowing pale skin being revealed to the world.

How he had longed to touch the skin, to reveal in its perfect tone all those months. He leaned down, placing his lips to his collarbone in a hot kiss, feeling long nimble fingers thread their way through his hair. However, he paid them no mind as he slowly trailed his lips up to his throat, both feeling and hearing those soft gasps. His lips curled slightly into a smirk, knowing exactly how to push his remnant over the edge. Seeing as the shoulder armor and straps were annoyingly in the way, one hand slid up to unclip them, tossing them to the ground without another thought, almost pausing when he felt cold fingers unbutton his shirt, feeling them tremble as if they would rather rip it off.

"Patience." Rufus half purred, only to hear a snort from his lover. He drew back a few inches to stare down at his lover. Brilliant mako eyes stared back, looking almost annoyed, his face flushed.

"Patience? I know you need this as much as I do. It's in your eyes." The president found himself agreeing to that growling tone. They both needed each other. And they needed each other now. Hands jerked the shirt off of him and those feline eyes broke from the frosty hues of Rufus to travel down his chest, drinking in his image. Rufus returned the favor and pulled the cloak off, bending to unbuckle the knee straps, depositing each article of clothing onto the floor in a messy pile. Lips descending onto each other in a hot kiss, their passion renewed easily. One of Rufus' hands ran down from his beloved's naked chest to his stomach, and then even further as it trailed down his hip, just briefly ghosting his inner thigh to elect a beautiful moan from Kadaj, one filled with uncontained need and lust.

A smirk caressed his lips as his other hand found the zipper to his pants, about to draw them down when lust-filled eyes suddenly snapped towards the door, a concentrated look forming in those eyes as the lust was forcibly pushed back. Rufus frowned, looking towards the door and wondering what Kadaj had heard, getting quite annoyed with the interruptions. He looked back down at him, trusting the remnant's extraordinary hearing with his life.

"What is it, Kadaj?" Rufus muttered, but found his lips pressed shut by one long slender finger. Kadaj's eyes were narrowed into tiny slits, tilting his head to one side in an attempt to pick up the sound he had heard. A snarl planted itself on his lips, leaping out of the bed with unnatural grace and landing on the carpeted ground. Rufus blinked, turning on the bed to slip onto the ground, about to take a step forward when Kadaj slipped out of the room, radiating anger and annoyance like it was sweat. Rufus barely got two steps forward and he heard a shout, then a gun being fired. A body hit the ground, judging by the thud he heard. He rushed to the door, his heart pounding in dread, but he then saw Kadaj holding a gun, his gun, a man in black and a gun on the ground, blood leaking out of a head bullet wound. Slowly his heart rate returned to normal, relieved that it wasn't Kadaj that had been shot.

"Kadaj?" he asked, eyes widening a fraction as he walked towards him. The remnant didn't glance back, dropping his hand as he stared down at the dead assassin. When Rufus got closer, he noticed how hard and full of hate the beautiful glowing eyes of his lover were. He placed a hand on the hand that held his gun, closing his fingers over the gun and gently prying it away from Kadaj.

"He's dead Kadaj…" he said in a soothing voice, retrieving a sheet and tossing it over the body, not bothering with it until the morning. He made sure that the windows and doors were secured, finding his front door's lock removed. He fiddled with the lock, and, finding it damaged, used the two backup locks on the door, sighing as he walked back to the teenager. "Kadaj…" The remnant finally turned his head towards Rufus, then back at the body. The president sighed and pulled the remnant closer, chuckling slightly as he kissed his lips in a comforting gesture, feeling him slightly respond. He drew back and smiled. "Come on." he whispered, pulling him back towards the bedroom. Though he ached to continue what they had started, he knew that what they both needed was to be together. They could wait at least another day. Yes… They could wait.

Kadaj found himself pulled to the bed, Rufus joining him when they both lay down. The president pulled him closer, feeling the tense body starting to relax against his warm body, the silverette letting out a small sigh, nuzzling his neck as he felt Rufus kiss his cheek. His chin was tilted up to be captured by a heated, yet gentle kiss. He smiled and drew back, Rufus stroking his cheek, smiling down at him lovingly. "Just sleep with me, my love." He said in a low voice. The remnant, famous for hating to be ordered around, couldn't help but obey, closing his eyes as he drifted off.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sunlight somehow slipped through tightly closed blinds, landing right on a closed eye. The owner of the eye shifted, facing the opposite way, the sheets twisted around his legs, arms unconsciously groping for something that should be there. Hands and fingers met with empty space, causing a frown to drift across the man's lips. Upon not feeling anything, he raised his head, looking around quickly. "Kadaj?" he said, rubbing his eyes as he patted the mattress, feeling no warmth, or evidence that he was there. Dread pooled in the bottom of his chest, needing to know if it had been real. He brought his hands close to his face, staring at them.

He had felt his lover's skin, had tasted him. It had been so real… Rufus looked down and saw that his shirt indeed had been removed, but he found it on the bed, as if it had been ripping off in a bad dream. Blue eyes glanced around the room, finding nothing out of the ordinary, and then moved his pillow. His gun still lay underneath it, and, checking the bullets, found that it was fully loaded, not one, or two, bullet missing. His heart clenched, and he leaped out of his bed and hurrying into the hallway, where the dent in the wall and the body should have been. There was no bloodstain, no human sized dent in the wall. He took a step back, and then went into the kitchen, finding no trace of the mugs that had been filled with hot chocolate. He cursed, not understanding. Turning to the last piece of possible evidence, he checked the door lock, finding it perfectly alright; no possible damage had been done to it.

The small hope that he had had was extinguished like a candle whose wick has run out, thus depriving the flame of its source of fuel. He sank to his knees when they gave way, holding his head as his mind struggled to comprehend what was happening, that his lover was not there, that it may have not happened. He didn't feel the salty drops of water trail down his cheeks, falling onto his carpet and pants.

Had it been the ghost of his beloved remnant lover? Had it all been a dream? Something his unconscious mind cooked up to appease his need to have his Kadaj in his arms again? But he swore that he could still taste the warm hot chocolate mixed with Kadaj's taste in his mouth like a haunting reminder of what may have happened.


End file.
